JP2022191753A - Imaging device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technique of detecting a deviation amount in two directions between the tip of a nozzle of a dispensing device and a target stop position from one image.SOLUTION: An imaging device according to the present disclosure is the imaging device installed in a dispensing device having: a nozzle which sucks and discharges liquid; and an arm which holds the nozzle and moves the nozzle with the rotation action. The imaging device comprises: a camera which has an imaging element and a lens; and a pair of mirrors which includes a first mirror having a first reflection surface and a second mirror having a second reflection surface. The pair of mirrors is arranged one by one on both sides sandwiching a plane including the rotational axis of the arm and the central axis of the nozzle between the tip of the nozzle and the bottom surface of the arm such that the first reflection surface opposes the second reflection surface. The first mirror is arranged on the side closer to the arm with respect to the second mirror, the first reflection surface faces the tip side of the nozzle and the second reflection surface faces the camera side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present disclosure relates to imaging devices.

A nozzle used for pipetting samples or reagents in an automatic analyzer is periodically replaced from the viewpoint of maintaining pipetting accuracy. During dispensing, it is necessary to insert the tip of the nozzle into a plurality of narrow spaces such as sample containers, reagent containers, or cleaning holes. Therefore, every time the nozzle is replaced, it is necessary to adjust the position of the tip of the nozzle with respect to the target stop position of the sample container, reagent container, cleaning hole, or the like.

In Patent Document 1, the object is to "provide a sample processing apparatus capable of adjusting the position of a moving part more easily and accurately than ever before, regardless of the complexity of the moving path of the moving part." "When an abnormality occurs in the sample analyzer, the object (cuvette) used for adjustment of the mechanism (reagent dispensing unit 23) in which the abnormality has occurred is imaged by the camera 23d provided in the sample analyzer. The amount of adjustment of the reagent-dispensing unit 23 is detected based on the image obtained by , and the adjustment of the reagent-dispensing unit 23 is performed based on the detected amount of adjustment." (Patent Document 1: summary).

Patent Document 2 describes a problem of "obtaining a nozzle tip position measuring device capable of measuring accurate position information on the order of micrometers with high accuracy without causing damage to the tip of the nozzle or contamination with foreign matter." A device for measuring the tip position of a nozzle provided in a moving means capable of relative movement in XYZ three-axis directions perpendicular to each other with respect to the XY plane of a base, wherein the tip of the nozzle is predetermined on the base. A reference area imaging means for capturing an image within the reference area is provided, and positional deviation of the nozzle tip from the reference position is detected by a photographed image when the nozzle tip is moved to a predetermined reference position within the reference area. is disclosed (see the abstract of Patent Document 2).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-32310 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-49197

In the technique described in Patent Literature 1, the tip of the pipette is imaged at the target stop position, and the shift in the horizontal direction between the center line of the acquired image and the target stop position is detected as the adjustment amount. However, the displacement amount in the depth direction of the image cannot be detected. Therefore, even if both the tip of the pipette and the target stop position on the image are aligned with the central axis of the image, there is a possibility that the tip of the nozzle will be adjusted to a position shifted in the depth direction from the target stop position. .

In addition, in the technique described in Patent Document 2, the reference position for adjusting the tip position of the nozzle is not the target stop position itself. In addition, the tip of the nozzle may not be able to adjust to the target stop position.

Therefore, the present disclosure provides a technique that enables detection of the amount of deviation in two different directions between the tip of the nozzle of the dispensing device and the target stop position from one photographed image.

In order to solve the above problems, the imaging device of the present disclosure is installed in a dispensing device having a nozzle for sucking and discharging liquid, and an arm that holds the nozzle and moves the nozzle by rotating. An imaging device comprising: a camera having an imaging element and a lens; and a pair of mirrors including a first mirror having a first reflecting surface and a second mirror having a second reflecting surface, The mirror of (1) rotates the rotation axis of the arm and the central axis of the nozzle between the tip of the nozzle and the bottom surface of the arm so that the first reflection surface and the second reflection surface are opposed to each other. The first mirror is arranged closer to the arm than the second mirror, and the first reflecting surface faces the tip side of the nozzle. and the second reflecting surface faces the camera.

Further features related to the present disclosure will become apparent from the description of the specification and the accompanying drawings. In addition, the aspects of the present disclosure will be achieved and attained by means of the elements and combinations of various elements and aspects of the detailed description that follows and the claims that follow. The description herein is merely exemplary and is not intended to limit the scope or application of this disclosure in any way.

According to the technique of the present disclosure, it is possible to detect deviation amounts in two different directions between the tip of the nozzle of the dispensing device and the target stop position from one photographed image. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the following description of the embodiments.

It is a schematic block diagram of a medical automatic analyzer. Fig. 2 is a side view of the dispensing device with the imaging device attached; It is a back view of the imaging device periphery of the dispensing apparatus to which the imaging device was attached. It is a figure for demonstrating the optical path of the object light which injects into an image pick-up element. It is a figure for demonstrating the optical path of the object light which injects into an image pick-up element. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the image which image|photographed the nozzle with the imaging device. It is a back view of the imaging device periphery of the dispensing apparatus to which the imaging device was attached. It is a bottom view of the imaging device periphery of the dispensing apparatus to which the imaging device was attached. It is a figure for demonstrating the optical path of the object light which injects into an image pick-up element. It is a figure for demonstrating the optical path of the object light which injects into an image pick-up element. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the image which image|photographed the nozzle with the imaging device.

[First embodiment]
<Configuration example of automatic analyzer>
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a medical automatic analyzer 10. As shown in FIG. A medical automatic analyzer 10 includes a reagent disk 12 , a reaction disk 13 , a plurality of reagent dispensing devices 14 , a plurality of sample dispensing devices 15 , a transfer line 16 , a washing tank 17 and a controller 100 .

A reagent disk 12 holds a plurality of reagent containers 11 . The reaction disk 13 is configured to be rotatable and holds a plurality of reaction cells 20 arranged in the circumferential direction. The transport line 16 transports the racks 18 . A rack 18 holds a plurality of sample containers 19 . The reagent dispensing device 14 has a nozzle 141 for dispensing the reagent (liquid) contained in the reagent container 11, and is configured to be able to move the nozzle 141 horizontally and vertically. The reagent dispensing device 14 sucks the reagent into the nozzle 141 and discharges it into the reaction cell 20 . The sample dispensing device 15 has a nozzle 151 for dispensing a sample (liquid) contained in a sample container 19, and is configured to be able to move the nozzle 151 horizontally and vertically. The sample dispensing device 15 aspirates the sample into the nozzle 151 and discharges it into the reaction cell 20 . The specimen is, for example, blood-derived, such as serum or whole blood, or a urine-derived biological sample. A reaction liquid is obtained by agitating the reagent and specimen dispensed into the reaction cell 20 by a stirring device (not shown). The cleaning tank 17 cleans the nozzle 151 of the specimen dispensing device 15 .

The reagent dispensing device 14 has a stop position for aspirating the reagent from the reagent container 11, a stop position for discharging the reagent into the reaction cell 20, and a washing tank (not shown) for washing away the reagent adhering to the nozzle 141. , the nozzle 141 is moved to the stop position of . Similarly, the specimen pipetting apparatus 15 has a stop position for aspirating the specimen from the specimen container 19 , a stop position for discharging the specimen to the reaction cell 20 , and a specimen adhering to the tip of the nozzle 151 in the washing tank 17 . move the nozzle 151 to the stop position for washing away the The reagent dispensing device 14 raises and lowers the nozzle 141 according to the height of each stop position. The specimen pipetting apparatus 15 raises and lowers the nozzle 151 according to the height of each stop position.

The control device 100 can be configured by a computer device, and includes a processor 101 , a storage device 102 , an input device 103 and an output device 104 . The processor 101 controls the operation of the automatic medical analyzer 10 according to the program stored in the storage device 102 and analyzes the reaction liquid in the reaction cell 20 . The storage device 102 can be configured by, for example, an internal memory or an external storage, and stores programs and parameters required for processing of the processor 101 . The input device 103 can be configured by, for example, a mouse, keyboard, touch panel, or the like. The output device 104 can be configured by, for example, a display, a speaker, a touch panel, and the like.

<Configuration example of dispensing device>
FIG. 2 is a side view of the reagent dispensing device 14 to which the imaging device 200 is attached. The reagent dispensing device 14 has a nozzle 141 , arms 142 and 143 and a shaft 144 . A proximal end of the nozzle 141 is held by one end of the arm 142 . Arm 142 is rotatably connected to arm 143 . FIG. 2 shows a state in which the arms 142 and 143 are aligned in a straight line. Arm 143 is supported by shaft 144 . The shaft 144 is configured to be rotatable and vertically movable by a motor (not shown). Note that the arm 143 may not be provided, in which case the arm 142 is connected to the shaft 144 .

As shown in FIG. 2, in this specification, the longitudinal direction of the shaft 144 is the vertical direction. Further, the direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the arm 142 is defined as the front-rear direction, the front being denoted as F, and the rear being denoted as B. As shown in FIG. Let O be a straight line passing through the optical axis of the camera 220 , that is, the center of the imaging element 221 and the principal point of the lens 222 .

The imaging device 200 has a pair of mirrors 210 and a camera 220 . The pair of mirrors 210 includes a first mirror 211 and a second mirror 212 arranged so that their reflective surfaces face each other. It should be noted that the expression that the reflective surfaces "oppose" does not mean that the reflective surface of the first mirror 211 and the reflective surface of the second mirror 212 face each other in parallel. means that the light reflected from is incident on the reflecting surface of the second mirror 212 . The camera 220 is a monocular camera having an imaging device 221 and a lens 222 . The imaging device 200 is attached to the arm 142 by an attachment member (not shown). Camera 220 is positioned below the bottom surface of arm 142 and behind nozzle 141 . The first mirror 211 and the second mirror 212 are arranged between the tip of the nozzle 141 and the bottom surface of the arm 142 . The mounting member has support members that support the first mirror 211 and the second mirror 212, respectively.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the surroundings of the imaging device 200 as viewed from behind. As shown in FIG. 3, in this specification, the lateral direction of the arm 142 (the direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the front-rear direction) is defined as the left-right direction, with R representing the right and L representing the left. Let A be a plane that includes the rotation axis Q of the arm 142 and the central axis of the nozzle 141 . Let P be a plane that includes the center of the image sensor 221 and the central axis of the nozzle 141 . In this embodiment, plane A and plane P are the same.

A first mirror 211 is arranged on the right R of the plane A. As shown in FIG. A second mirror 212 is arranged to the left L of the plane A. As shown in FIG. That is, the first mirror 211 and the second mirror 212 are arranged on both sides of the left L and the right R with the plane A interposed therebetween. The reflective surface of the first mirror 211 faces the tip of the nozzle 141 . The reflecting surface of the second mirror 212 faces the base end side of the nozzle 141 . The first mirror 211 is arranged closer to the base end of the nozzle 141 than the second mirror 212, that is, above.

Although the details will be described later, by arranging the pair of mirrors 210 as described above, an image of the tip of the nozzle 141 viewed from two different viewpoints is formed on the imaging device 221 . The imaging device 221 outputs the captured image to the control device 100 . The control device 100 processes the image captured by the imaging device 221 and calculates the amount of deviation between the tip of the nozzle 141 and the target stop position in two directions. The control device 100 calculates the adjustment amount of the position of the nozzle 141 based on the calculated deviation amount, and adjusts the operation amount of the motor of the reagent dispensing device 14 based on the adjustment amount.

<About photographed images>
4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining the optical path of object light incident on the image sensor 221. FIG. 4A shows an optical path 51 of object light reflected by the front side surface of the tip of the nozzle 141, and FIG. 4B shows an optical path 52 of object light reflected by the right side surface of the tip of the nozzle 141. FIG. As shown by optical path 51 in FIG. 4A , the object light reflected by the front side surface of the tip of nozzle 141 is directly incident on lens 222 and forms an image in a first area substantially in the center of imaging element 221 . On the other hand, as shown by the optical path 52 in FIG. 4B, the object light reflected by the right side of the tip of the nozzle 141 is once reflected by the first mirror 211 toward the tip of the nozzle 141, and then reflected by the second mirror. At 212 , the light is reflected toward the camera 220 side and forms an image on the second area at the right end of the imaging element 221 . Therefore, in this embodiment, images of the tip of the nozzle 141 viewed from two different viewpoints are displayed on one imaging device 221 .

An example of the stop position of the nozzle 141 is a cleaning hole arranged on the bottom surface of the cleaning tank 17 . Since the nozzle 141 is inserted into the cleaning hole for cleaning, it is necessary to adjust the position of the nozzle 141 to the center of the cleaning hole.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an image of the nozzle 141 stopped above the cleaning hole 171 of the cleaning tank 17 taken by the imaging device 200. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, an image 221F with a viewpoint placed on the front side surface side of the tip of the nozzle 141 is captured in the first imaging area of one image, and the second imaging area is: An image 221R viewed from the right side of the tip of the nozzle 141 is shown. Therefore, the lateral deviation amount between the center (target stop position) of the cleaning hole 171 and the tip of the nozzle 141 is obtained from the image 221F by the intersection of the center axis 141FC of the nozzle 141 and the tip edge 141FE of the nozzle 141 and the cleaning hole 171 can be detected as the distance DH from the center line 171FC in the left-right direction. Similarly, the amount of deviation in the front-rear direction between the center of the cleaning hole 171 and the tip of the nozzle 141 is calculated from the image 221R by the intersection of the center axis 141RC of the nozzle 141 and the tip edge 141RE of the nozzle 141 and the vertical direction of the cleaning hole 171. It can be detected as a distance DV from the center line 171RC.

As described above, according to the imaging device 200 of the present embodiment, the pair of mirrors 210 are arranged as described above, so that one image of the tip of the nozzle 141 viewed from two different viewpoints can be captured. Since it is projected on the element 221, the displacement between the tip position of the nozzle 141 and the target stop position can be detected in two directions, ie, the left-right direction and the front-rear direction, from one photographed image. In this way, by detecting a lateral shift from one of the two regions included in a single captured image and detecting a longitudinal shift from the other region, all regions of a single captured image are detected. Since the number of pixels to be processed at one time can be reduced compared to the case of processing, the processing speed is improved.

Note that the direction of the viewpoint for imaging is not limited to the left-right direction and the front-rear direction, and may be two directions that intersect each other. In particular, it is possible to accurately detect the deviation between the tip of the nozzle 141 and the target stop position by imaging viewpoints in two orthogonal directions. In this specification, the term “perpendicular” refers not only to the aspect in which two directions intersect at an angle of 90°, but also to the aspect in which two directions intersect at an angle within the range of 90° ± error (substantially orthogonal). shall be included.

As described above, in the first embodiment, the attachment of the imaging device 200 to the reagent dispensing device 14 has been described. The imaging device 200 can be similarly attached to the sample pipetting device 15, and by capturing an image of the position of the nozzle 151 of the sample pipetting device 15, it is possible to detect deviations in two directions from one photographed image. can.

Also, although the imaging device 200 is attached to the pipetting device of the automatic medical analyzer 10, the imaging device 200 can also be applied to pipetting devices mounted on other devices.

<Modification of First Embodiment>
The imaging device 200 may be configured to be detachable from the pipetting device, and may be attached to the pipetting device only when adjusting the position of the nozzle and removed during normal analysis operations. In this case, since the mass of the imaging device 200 disappears during the analysis operation, the load on the motor that drives the dispensing device can be reduced. As a result, analysis throughput can be improved.

The second mirror 212 may be arranged closer to the optical axis O side of the camera 220 than the first mirror 211 is. In this case, on the captured image, the area of the second imaging region captured via the first mirror 211 and the second mirror 212 becomes large, so the distance between the tip of the nozzle 141 and the target stop position in the front-rear direction becomes large. This is advantageous for recognizing positional relationships. In this case, the position of the nozzle 141 on the captured image is the same as the position shown in FIG.

When a single-focus lens is used as the lens 222, the second mirror 212 arranged on the tip side of the nozzle 141 receives the object light from the right side of the tip of the nozzle 141 through the first mirror 211 and the second mirror 212. Since it is arranged closer to the camera 220 than the first mirror 211 on the optical path 52 leading to the second imaging area via the mirror 212 , it can be made smaller than the first mirror 211 . This allows the nozzle 141 to move between multiple target stop positions without the imaging device 200 colliding with other components in the automatic medical analyzer 10 .

Glass (refractive index>1) having a longitudinal direction in the optical axis direction of the camera 220 may be arranged on the optical path 51 and outside the optical path 52 . In this case, the focus of the camera 220 is set at a position separated from the imaging element 221 by the optical path length of the optical path 52 . As a result, the optical path length of the image 221F and the optical path length of the image 221R can be made equal, so that the resolution of the image can be improved.

<Summary of the first embodiment>
As described above, the imaging apparatus 200 according to the first embodiment has the nozzle 141 that sucks and discharges liquid, and the arm 142 that holds the nozzle 141 and moves the nozzle 141 by a rotating operation. Installed in the device 14 . The imaging device 200 includes a camera 220 having an imaging element 221 and a lens 222 and a pair of mirrors 210 including a first mirror 211 and a second mirror 212 . A pair of mirrors 210 are arranged between the tip of the nozzle 141 and the bottom surface of the arm 142 so that the reflecting surface of the first mirror 211 and the reflecting surface of the second mirror 212 face each other. and a plane A including the central axis of the nozzle 141 . The reflecting surface faces the tip side of the nozzle 141 and the reflecting surface of the second mirror 212 faces the camera 220 side.

As a result, the image of the tip of the nozzle 141 seen from the first viewpoint is formed in the first imaging region of the imaging device 221, and the image of the tip of the nozzle 141 seen from the second viewpoint is formed on the imaging device 221. , the images of the nozzle 141 viewed from two different viewpoints are included in one photographed image. Therefore, it is possible to detect the amount of deviation in two different directions between the tip of the nozzle 141 of the reagent dispensing device 14 and the target stop position.

[Second embodiment]
Another example of the positional relationship between the camera 220 and the pair of mirrors 210 will be described in the second embodiment. In the figure, elements having the same functions as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the imaging device 200 according to the second embodiment and its surroundings as viewed from behind. In the first embodiment described above, it has been explained that the optical axis O of the camera 220 and the central axis of the nozzle 141 are arranged on the same plane A. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the camera 220 is positioned on the left side of the plane A defined in the first embodiment so that the optical axis O of the camera 220 is positioned on the left L side. It is arranged in parallel to the L side.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the vicinity of the imaging device 200 of the reagent dispensing device 14 according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the optical axis O of the camera 220 is arranged out of the plane P including the center of the imaging device 221 and the central axis of the nozzle.

8A and 8B are diagrams for explaining the optical path of object light incident on the image sensor 221. FIG. 8A shows the optical path 53 of the object light reflected by the front side surface of the tip of the nozzle 141, and FIG. 8B shows the optical path 54 of the object light reflected by the right side surface of the tip of the nozzle 141. FIG. As indicated by the optical path 53 in FIG. 8A, the object light reflected by the front side surface of the tip of the nozzle 141 is directly incident on the lens 222 and forms an image in the first area on the left half of the imaging device 221 . On the other hand, as shown by the optical path 54 in FIG. 8B, the object light reflected by the right side of the tip of the nozzle 141 is once reflected by the first mirror 211 toward the tip of the nozzle 141, and then reflected by the second mirror. The light is reflected toward the camera 220 side by 212 and forms an image on the second region of the right half of the imaging device 221 . Therefore, in the present embodiment, images of the tip of the nozzle 141 from different viewpoints are displayed on the single imaging element 221 with substantially the same area.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an image of the nozzle 141 stopped above the cleaning hole 171 of the cleaning tank 17 taken by the imaging device 200. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, in the present embodiment, the area of the image 321F of the first imaging region and the area of the image 321R of the second imaging region are substantially equal, and the first imaging region and the second imaging region are respectively The tip portion of the nozzle 141 can be projected near the center of . Therefore, there is no wasted area on the captured image, and the amount of deviation between the tip of the nozzle 141 and the target stop position in two directions, ie, the left-right direction and the front-rear direction, can be detected more accurately. As described above, according to the imaging device 200 of the present embodiment, the displacement between the tip position of the nozzle 141 and the target stop position in two directions, i.e., the left-right direction and the front-rear direction, can be detected more efficiently from one photographed image. be able to.

<Summary of Second Embodiment>
As described above, in the imaging device 200 according to the second embodiment, the optical axis O of the camera 220 is arranged outside the plane A including the rotation axis Q of the arm 142 and the central axis of the nozzle. As a result, the area of the image 321F in the first imaging region of the imaging element 221 and the area of the image 321R in the second imaging region can be made substantially equal, so that the amount of deviation of the tip of the nozzle 141 in two directions can be reduced. can be detected accurately.

[Modification]
The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail in order to explain the present disclosure in an easy-to-understand manner, and do not necessarily include all the configurations described. Also, part of an embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment. Moreover, the configuration of another embodiment can be added to the configuration of one embodiment. Moreover, a part of the configuration of each embodiment can be added, deleted or replaced with a part of the configuration of another embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Medical automatic analyzer 11... Reagent container 12... Reagent disc 13... Reaction disc 14... Reagent pipetting device 15... Specimen pipetting device 16... Transport line 17... Washing tank 18... Rack 19... Specimen container 20... Reaction cell 51 54 Optical path 141 Nozzles 142, 143 Arm 144 Shaft 151 Nozzle 171 Cleaning hole 200 Imaging device 211 First mirror 212 Second mirror 220 Camera 221 Imaging device 222 Lens

Claims (9)

An imaging device installed in a dispensing device having a nozzle for sucking and discharging a liquid, and an arm for holding the nozzle and moving the nozzle by a rotating operation,
a camera having an imaging device and a lens;
a pair of mirrors including a first mirror having a first reflective surface and a second mirror having a second reflective surface;
The pair of mirrors are arranged between the tip of the nozzle and the bottom surface of the arm such that the first reflecting surface and the second reflecting surface are opposed to each other. Placed one on each side of the plane containing the axis,
The first mirror is arranged closer to the arm than the second mirror, the first reflecting surface faces the tip side of the nozzle, and the second reflecting surface faces the camera. An imaging device characterized in that it faces the 2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second mirror is arranged at a position closer to said plane than said first mirror. 3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said second mirror is smaller than said first mirror. 2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the imaging device is configured to be detachable from the dispensing device. 3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the optical axis of the camera is arranged out of the plane including the rotation axis of the arm and the center axis of the nozzle. 2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the imaging device is attached to the arm so that the camera is positioned near the base end of the nozzle. The lens is arranged so that light from the tip of the nozzle viewed from a first viewpoint is directly incident,
In the pair of mirrors, light from the tip of the nozzle at a second viewpoint different from the first viewpoint is reflected by the first mirror, then reflected by the second mirror, and then reflected by the lens. 2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the imaging device is arranged so as to be incident. 8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the direction of said first viewpoint is orthogonal to the direction of said second viewpoint. Further comprising a control device for processing the image captured by the imaging device,
The control device is
calculating a deviation amount between the nozzle projected in the area corresponding to the first viewpoint in the image and a target stop position of the nozzle;
8. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the amount of deviation between the nozzle projected in the area corresponding to the second viewpoint in the image and the target stop position is calculated.

Images